ROCKY DUVALL, Owner/Executive Artistic Director
Rocky has been performing all of his life. He got his start at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco and completed his training on full scholarship with Gus Giordano Jazz Dance in Chicago. He has travelled extensively performing with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, and worked successfully in all facets of the South Florida professional theater community as a member of Actors Equity Association. In recognition of Rocky’s choreography in the year 2000, he was nominated for a Carbonell Award (a South Florida Theater Critics Award). In addition to his career as a performer, Rocky has taught master classes at prestigious dance studios all over South Florida. He has also held the position of Director of the Dance Department at the North Broward Preparatory School in Coconut Creek, instructed and choreographed for Olympic Heights High School in Boca Raton, the Palm Beach Principal Players, the Wellington High School Dance Team and for Avi Hoffman’s New Vista Theater Company in Boca Raton. Since moving to Wellington in 2004, in support of the arts in the Western communities, he has participated in the "Wellington Idol" events as a judge and MC, and co-produced Rock'n the Mike Productions. For the past 21 years he has owned and operated the Dance Arts Conservatory Center for the Performing Arts in Wellington, Florida with his wife Dorie. Their combined artistic vision at Dance Arts Conservatory Center for the Performing Arts has created a diverse dance program from which their students emerge with a powerfully rounded dance experience. Committed to bringing the arts to the community on a significant level, they co-founded Wellington Ballet Theatre in 2011, a not for profit 501(c)3 company and charitable organization providing cultural enrichment through the art of dance and innovative performance, staging three full-length ballets annually. Inspired by the tremendous response to this performance based programming, in 2015 they also launched "Broadway Stars", an outstanding musical theater program where students are emerged in learning the art of performing Broadway musicals in professional theaters. In 2019 with a focus on ensemble performance, they launched W.A.V.E (Wellington Artists Vocal Ensemble) to locally perform fully staged Broadway musical numbers. Rocky serves as the Executive Artistic Director of Dance Arts Conservatory and is a professional member of Actors Equity Association and Dance Educators of America.
DORIE DUVALL , Owner/Director of Children's Primary Program
Dorie has been teaching dance for over 35 years. Originally from the east coast, her love affair with dance began at the Hillside Studio in Long Island with her first dance teacher Ellen Cretti. Her arts education continued in South Florida at the Dance Academy of Deerfield Beach and the Dillard High School of Performing Arts, studying under Janet Mathie, Luanne Lavoy and Debbi Dee. In New York, she continued her education at STEPS, studying with Susie Taylor, Joe Lanteri and Michelle Assaf, but was primarily and soulfully inspired by the works of Douglas Caldwell. Dorie enjoyed travelling the world by sea performing as a featured dancer with Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Lines and on land, spent many years performing in professional regional theater as member of Actors Equity. In 2004, she opened Dance Arts Conservatory Center for the Performing Arts in Wellington, Florida with her husband Rocky Duvall. For nearly two decades they provided powerful programming for the arts through their performing companies; “Wellington Ballet Theatre” a nonprofit 501(c)3 charitable organization providing cultural enrichment through the art of classical dance and innovative performance, "Broadway Stars" a musical theater program in which students learn the art of performing Broadway musicals with professional directors, musical directors and choreographers, W.A.V.E. (Wellington Artists Vocal Ensemble) a vocal performance company showcasing young performers on local community stages and Momentum Dance Company. In recent years, she launched Duvall Arts, LLC, a company focused in providing Arts education and programming. In 2022, after relocating to the West Coast with her husband and three children, she joined the dance faculty of Northern California Dance Conservatory under the directorships of Jen Bradford, Michael Levine and Maia Wilkins and also joined Elevation Dance Center with Artistic Director/Owner Sara Wardell. She is extremely grateful for the opportunity to continue providing arts education through their new program "Broadway Stars West Musical Theatre & Dance" being offered out of The NCDC Studios. She is a professional member Actors Equity Association and Dance Educators of America. In addition to celebrating her work in the Arts, Dorie enjoys Tai Chi, is a licensed massage therapist specializing in Traditional Thai Massage, a yoga teacher RYT-200, and an absolutely passionate sourdough bread baker. She believes that each day is a gift and looks forward to serving her community and sharing her joy of life through her work.
JANELL FEARS
Janell Marie Fears started dancing at the age of 5 and trained in ballet/pointe, jazz, tap, lyrical, and Luigi Jazz Technique. She received most of her training through Victoria’s Academy of Dance, Tempe Dance Academy, Ballet San Jose, and many other renowned dance instructors via the convention circuit. As a young dancer, she was a member of multiple performance companies throughout California and Arizona and has been recognized with top awards for her solo and group performances regionally and nationally.
Recognizing her passion for dance and teaching at an early age, her mentors guided her to become a student teacher, which marked the beginning of her teaching career. Janell has been teaching for nearly 30 years and enjoys sharing her passion for dance. Her students have received top judge’s awards, scholarships, and have been accepted to Ballet San Jose, Alonzo King’s Lines Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet, as well as the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. She has also served on the judging panel for Dance Masters of California.
Her teaching career has expanded throughout California and Arizona, and she was also invited as a guest teacher to teach in New Zealand. She believes in giving her students a firm foundation in solid technique, which will help them in whatever route they choose for dance in their lives.
Janell has been married for over 12 years and has 2 boys. She is excited to share her passion with her students.
SHAE SALGUERO
Shae Salguero is a versatile and dynamic dance educator and performer with over 25 years of experience in the arts. She graduated with honors from Columbia College Chicago in 2008 with a BFA in Dance/Choreography and a minor in Arts and Entertainment Media Management. Shae's professional journey took her to the Bay Area in 2009, where she worked with renowned artists and companies, including Joe Goode, Flyaway Productions, Here Now Dance Collective, Danita Dance, David Herrera Performance Company, and Holly Johnston's Ledges and Bones. Throughout her performance career, Shae was also dedicated to sharing her passion for dance and movement with others, teaching at institutions such as San Jose State University, University of Oregon, and Loyola Marymount University. She went on to become a beloved instructor at Tiffany’s Dance Studios across the TriValley, where she taught students of all ages, from toddlers to adults.
Shae's roots in theater run deep, as she hails from a family of theater creators and has been performing in musicals since childhood. Some of her favorite roles include Anybodys in West Side Story, Carmen Diaz in Fame, Gertrude McFuzz in Seussical the Musical, and Val Clark in A Chorus Line.
With a strong background in arts administration, Shae served as Outreach Director at Dancers’ Group, where she fostered connections within the dance community, and worked closely with over 40 dance organizations in the Bay Area. Currently, Shae works as a Senior Field Marketing Manager at a Bay Area tech company, combining her strategic skills with her creative background.
In addition to her work in dance, Shae is certified in Group Fitness and Personal Training through ACE Fitness. She further expanded her expertise by coaching at multiple OrangeTheory Fitness locations in the TriValley and Sacramento regions, blending her dance background with a passion for fitness and wellness.
Shae and her husband, Paul, relocated to Roseville in 2019, where they are raising their two young daughters, who share her love of dance and theater. Shae is committed to nurturing the next generation of artists and helping students of all ages express themselves through movement, fitness, and creativity.
KELLI SHANE
Kelli Shane was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and went on to receive a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Colorado, Boulder. After graduation, she set out to pursue her childhood dream of working in the performing arts. She signed with a talent agency in San Francisco and began studying the Meisner Technique at Bay Area Acting Studio, improv at Bay Area Theatre Sports (BATS), and commercial acting at Nancy Hayes Casting.
While learning the craft, Kelli quickly started working background in film and television while booking principal roles in student films, TV spots, industrials, digital media, and TV commercials, which led to her earning her SAG-AFTRA card and moving to Los Angeles to pursue acting full-time. Upon arrival in L.A., Kelli continued immersing herself in acting classes — studying the craft at Howard Fine Acting Studio, improv with Groundlings and iO West, and commercial technique with various pros in the industry while also booking work as a commercial actor for clients such as Reebok, Cheetos, Comcast, Visit California, McDonalds, Honda, Round Table Pizza, Ford, and many more.
Kelli has been married to her college sweetheart and business partner, Matt, for 20 years. They moved from L.A. to Lake Tahoe in 2013 to seek a slower pace of life and to start a family. Their 5-year-old, Faith, and 2-year-old, Madeline, are already following in their mama’s footsteps with gigs for Gap Kids, Pottery Barn Kids, Tea Collection, and many more. Kelli & Matt’s entrepreneurial spirits and decision to homeschool their girls allows them to split their time between Lake Tahoe and Granite Bay, where they opened a wedding venue on Kelli’s mom’s property.
Kelli has worked with children for her entire life. She spent many years volunteering as a CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocate) for abused and neglected children who are in the foster care system. Her extensive experience working with children of all ages and backgrounds combined with her professional experience as an actor led her to join our team as a Guest Teacher. She is very passionate about helping young students connect to themselves, the material, and their characters with playfulness and authenticity. "I was painfully shy as a child which kept me from fully pursuing the performing arts until I was an adult. To now have the opportunity to share the tools I learned to calm my nerves and find my confidence is really exciting."
ABBY SNYDER - TEACHER'S ASSISTANT
Abby Snyder is 15 years old, and has been dancing at Northern California Dance Conservatory since she was three. She aspires to be a professional ballerina. Abby is classically trained in ballet and has attended summer intensives with renowned schools, including the Joffrey Ballet Academy, San Francisco Ballet School, and The School of American Ballet.
AIEDAN DUVALL - TEACHER'S ASSISTANT
Aiedan Duvall is 17 years old and has been dancing since she was two. Growing up, she began her dance journey at Dance Arts Conservatory in Wellington, Florida, with her formative training led by Dorie and Rocky Duvall, and Melissa McCoy focusing her dance education in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, pointe, and hip hop. She also fell in love with musical theatre at a very early age and performed with Broadway Stars and Wellington Artists Vocal Ensemble under Dance Arts Conservatory. Aiedan continues to love musical theatre as she performed shows in her youth, some of her favorite roles include Flounder from “The Little Mermaid”, Annie from “Annie”, Little Red Riding Hood from “Into the Woods” and Jane from “Mary Poppins”. She went on to perform in professional regional theatre and became an Actors Equity Membership Candidate. In 2021, she moved to California with her family and found her new dance home at Northern California Dance Conservatory. For the past 3 years, Aiedan has continued her training at the pre-professional company level with instructors Jen Bradford, Michael Levine, Maia Wilkins, Peggy Dolkas, Jessica Lawrence, Dacia Biletnikoff, Robin Bartholomew, Dereka Javar and Ryan McKee training in classical and contemporary ballet, pointe, tap and hip hop. She has also been a part of many professional trainings and performances and has had the privilege of working with international master teachers such as James Gregg, Alex Ossadnik, Zherlin Ndudi. She attended the summer intensives at Northern California Dance Conservatory for two years, and this past summer, she attended the highly esteemed summer dance intensive at the Rambert School in London.
This season Aiedan is performing in Placer Theatre Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” as the Snow Queen and Sugar Plum Fairy as well as other roles and also began instructing at Elevation Dance Center where she teaches young children’s ballet, hip hop, tap and acro. She is planning to graduate high school a year early in 2025, and one of her goals is to join the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines Entertainment as a professional dancer. Most of all, Aiedan is inspired by KPOP artists such as BTS, Seventeen, LE SSERAFIM and Global Girl Group KATSEYE and takes pride in looking up to their incredible performances. Aiedan finds a strong passion in dance and loves that she is able to train her body to be able to perform.